Note* Are you still playing CoD4 and CoD: WaW often? Spreading the word about the boycotts through that avenue would be extremely effective, and far more respect worthy than Piracy.

With the recent (very understandable) anger with Activision and their CEO Bobby Kotik over the company’s seemingly callous and arrogant stance lately toward gamers, and even other companies, gamers are in the process of figuring out how to make their statement.

The obvious choice would be the boycott that is beginning to make headway. But such things are only as reliable as the honor of the person who agrees. Someone who is angry now, might not be as angry a few months from now when his buddies are playing Modern Warfare 2 or Guitar Hero 5 and he isn’t.

For those who are angry but plan to play Activision’s games anyway, it seems that their plan of attack is Piracy. All over the message boards of the gaming community, in private conversations, and the like, apparently this is the intent of many. Today we at HDWarriors (as much as we stand with you in outrage over where attitudes like Activision’s lead) implore you not to Pirate Activision games in response. As far as making them hear our displeasure goes, there is a better way.

Activision is a business, and a business as its bottom line is to make as much profit as possible.

Part of making as much profit as possible obviously includes not enraging your customers to stand against you. And obviously Activision is currently losing their way a bit in that department. But they are not commiting any crimes.

You on the other hand, through piracy, would be commiting a crime. As a statement to the gaming industry that Gamers will not stand for what we see as undue price hikes, we would steal?

Are you going to go online with your pirated copy? Are you going to cry when a handful of us are rounded up and their lives ruined with prison sentences and life altering fines? Are we going to make ourselves look like the douchey geeks the rest of the world thinks we are? It’s not worth it.

Activision obviously feels that they know the market, and what it will bend over and take. If they are wrong, then prove it to them by truly standing together, not spending the price they demand, and not playing the games of theirs of which they feel they have us by the balls with. There are loads of excellent shooters on the Market, and zounds of amazing games of other genres where your money will be just as well spent if not better.

Instead of exploring the reasons for why people should buy the Activision games in question, explore the reasons why people shouldn’t. Find the alternatives that will take the sting out of not playing and make them well known.

In short, reward the companies that are doing right by gamers by using your influence through word of mouth (Invaluable in gaming) to inform others about. Leaving (At least until they get their act together) companies like Activision to dwell in their imaginary world where they can treat people however they want (through the rules) and not expect due response (through the rules).